Beautiful journey to Taman Sari Water Castle

If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree. ~ Michael Crichton

Hello ..

Now, I would like to tell you another favorite tourism , one must visited destination in Yogyakarta // Jogja – Indonesia.. You really really really have to visit this place if you go to Jogja or you will regret (haha trust me, you will be regret!! I mentioned it twice already – REGRETFUL 😀 *three times ) .. Yes the place is called Taman Sari Water Castle.. Taman means garden, Sari means beautiful.. An old article described it as a “water castle”,  as by shutting the water gates, the complex would be completely immersed in water, leaving tall structures standing out (Wikipedia) *_* awesome.. As I know far, Taman Sari Water Castle is a place for princess took a bath in huge pool.. Some area in Taman Sari Water Castle was also used to meditate ..

To go to Taman Sari Water Castle, you can go by car.. It is not so far from Sultanate Palace and very near to Ngasem Market – the biggest birds market in Jogja.. If you confuse you can ask the local but I remind you have to get used to near Sultanate Palace foremost.. In my experience, I didn’t confuse at all because the sign was quite helping.. :)Second choices you can go there by public transportation such as taxi or becak – rickshaw .. For rickshaws, you can rent them from Malioboro Street.. The unique one about rickshaws in Jogja is that they will wait for you, I mean they will take you to the destination – wait for you – and take you home .. It kinda a round trip by same rickshaw.. Cool right?! You don’t have to look for another rickshaw anymore to go home.. You can call it a cost-saving too, because you will pay cheaper if you rent them for round trip than for one way, hehehe :p

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Prepare some day to go there, wear a casual clothes and comfortable shoes because the place is quite huge and we are forced to walk under the blistering day.. Have your own drinks and snacks.. Umbrella or hat is suggested.. Don’t forget camera .. Lets go !!

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The main entrance of Taman Sari Water Castle.. So traditional but stately stand.. With those dragon ornaments, it looks more sacred .. This gate is called the Gedhong Gapura Panggung, this is the east entrance to pool area, and now functionally to main entrance for tourist..

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Buy tickets first, the locket is on the right side.. The tickets were so cheap, it’s only 4000 rupiahs each person (less than $1 anyway) .. For photo permit is only 1000 rupiahs for each camera.. No wonder, that this place is one of fave destinations for both local and foreigner tourist.. Less amount for enjoying beautiful place, who refused? 🙂

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After the main entrance, there’s a little garden and the path lead us to go down by stairs to huge pool – a bathing area.. Even though this area was not the focal point of Taman Sari Water Castle, it is the best preseved area in the complex and is currently the most popular tourist attraction. During its era, only females and sultan were allowed to enter the bathing area.. (Wikipedia)

A bathing area is called Umbul Pasiraman .. This area is surrounded by large flower pots.. There’s also a huge cage look-a-like in the corner of the bathing area, actually those are not cage but a place to burn incense.. Now days, maybe it is known as aromatherapy.. 🙂

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I will tell you another interesting part, about the peeping room..  Yes, there is a building with a tower in its center. The right wing of the building was used as the sultan’s changing room, the east wing was used as his resting place.. And the central tower was a peeping room where sultan observe his daughters and concubines bathing in the pool.. In that peeping room, sultan would throw a flower to the pool where concubine bathing, choose concubine  who he loved to “accompany” him in the night  (you know what I mean)..

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Finally we arrive to Gedhong Gapura Hageng, this is the west gate that lead to bathing area .. It was formerly used as the main entrance to bathing area.. It looks almost the same with the previous gate (which has dragon ornament I told you earlier) ..

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Pass to the Gedhong Gapura Hageng, we follow the small road and enter the local residential .. In there, we will find a small building with short door.. We have to bow to get in .. Apparently this is not an ordinary building but a long tunnel.. A legend says that there is a secret tunnel that connects the palace with the south sea, Indian Ocean where the supernatural Queen of the South has her palace. I visited  and walked along the tunnel, I found a deadlock in the end of the tunnel.. Supposedly said, behind this deadlock there was still a continually tunnel to south sea ..

Before the deadlock, there is a well that called Sumur Gemuling .. Sumur  means the well, Gemuling means resounding.. If we clap our hand, the sound will resounding to the entire room .. In its era, this building was used as mosque and people did ablution in the well before they Sholat (pray in moslem).. But now, this well is empty..

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In the middle of observation, I met Pak Prawiroredjo.. He actually local people there but suddenly followed me and gave all the explanation about Sumur Gemuling.. He’s 82 years old and one of the abdi dalem in Sultanate (I knew it, because he showed me his identity card :p ).. Anyway, abdi dalem is a servant who devoted himself to Sultanate.. Pak Prawiroredjo looked healthy in his age.. I love the way he guided and told the story about Sumur Gemuling, very excited.. I gave him tip and he was grateful for that.. Thanks to you too, Pak Prawiroredjo 🙂

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Sumur Gemuling was the last destination in Taman Sari Water Castle.. I went back home then .. Actually I have been there twice, but always love to come back again.. I don’t know, this place is very sacred, sometimes becomes mystic .. How come our ancestor built this place with simple knowledge and technology?!  I know, there must be some special power beyond our common sense , supernatural things etc .. I’m very curious about that, really interesting right ? :p

Well, I hope you like my story and intend to go there to meet Pak Prawiroredjo, hehe..

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I have the same feeling when I walk in a very beautiful place that I have when I play and it goes right. ~Jacqueline du Pre

Love,